Sport stars who lost their way and ended up before Liverpool’s courts
Last week saw a former Great Britain handball player sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court for trying to sell cocaine.
Jacob Maxted, 26, was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on Tuesday (May 9). He was arrested as he tried to sell cocaine but was caught on CCTV.
Described by the judge as “breathtakingly inept”, Maxted avoided jail as he had shown he was “capable of leading a law-abiding and productive lifestyle. He was said to have “gone off the rails for six months”.
READ MORE: Man arrested on suspicion of drug supply after police raid house
Maxted is not the only person with a sporting background to have fallen into a life of crime. Here we look at people who had left behind sporting careers and become involved in criminal activity, including former Liverpool players.
Dealer ruined ‘promising’ Liverpool FC career turning to life of heroin and cocaine
A drug dealer ruined his “promising” Liverpool FC career by getting involved with cocaine and heroin.
John Smith once had a “promising career” as a youth player with the Reds, but “wasted his talent” by falling into drink and drugs. And the now 38-year-old was caught with thousands of pounds of class A substances when police pulled over his car.
Liverpool Crown Court heard in September 2022 that the police patrols spotted his Ford Kuga driving on City Road in Walton on October 11, 2021. Mr Jones, prosecuting, described how Smith – who had two male passengers – appeared to be “very nervous and looking around”.
After running checks, officers found that the vehicle was uninsured. Despite “briefly losing sight” of the car, they then found it parked up nearby with only the defendant inside.
Smith again “appeared very nervous”, with the PCs discovering he was in possession of three mobile phones which were “ringing constantly”. His home on Carr Lane in Norris Green was then raided.
Unusually, he owned up and “told the officers where the drugs were”. Most were found in the kitchen in a drawer and cupboard.
In total, 22g of crack cocaine worth around £2,460 and 23g of heroin with a potential street value of £2,080 was seized. The search also uncovered £3,130 in cash.
Analysis of the phones showed some messages relating to drug dealing, including some asking “are you on?”. Tick lists discovered referenced figures in the thousands of pounds, £250 in wages and expenses for petrol.
Smith has a total of 13 previous convictions for 23 offences, although none in relation to the supply of drugs. In 2005, he was jailed for three years and 10 months for inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent – having slashed a woman’s arm and stabbed two men in the street after arming himself with knives and meat cleavers – before being rapped for affray in 2013, when he himself was knifed during a fight on Duke Street in the city centre.
Two years later, he was locked up again after bottling a man and causing him horrific facial injuries. The 21-year-old was left with a broken nose, left cheekbone and eye socket after the attack – which saw him smash a bottle of Budweiser over the victim’s head – as well as losing seven teeth.
Smith later pleaded guilty to wounding and was handed a three-year extended sentence. The judge on this occasion stated: “Aged 19, you had a promising football career with Liverpool FC but since then – largely due to issues with drugs and alcohol – your life has spiralled out of control.”
Smith admitted possession of heroin and crack cocaine with intent to supply and was jailed for 32 months
READ THE FULL STORY HERE.
Liverpool Champions League winner who broke woman’s leg after 11 pints of shandy
Former Liverpool player John Welsh made headlines in 2019 after pleading guilty to one count of assault occasioning grievous bodily harm.
Wavertree-born Welsh made a handful of Liverpool first-team appearances in the mid-2000s under managers Gerard Houllier and Rafa Benitez. Though he contributed to the Reds’ run to Champions League triumph in 2005 before plying his trade in the lower leagues, his time at Anfield will have been largely forgotten by many.
He was handed a 15 month sentence, suspended for two years, after a 2018 night out in Liverpool city centre turned nasty.
After drinking 11 pints of shandy on a night out with his brothers, Welsh ended up in verbal altercation with Jeanette Gavin and her partner Eileen Phealey, telling her to “Watch where you’re going you fat b****” before saying “I can do what I f***ing want” and words to the effect of “Don’t you tell me what to do, I will do whatever I want. Don’t you know who I am?”
He then left his victim with a fractured leg after kicking the 57-year-old, taking her feet out from underneath her and bringing her to the floor. The driving instructor, who was left with a fracture to her leg, then called the police and Welsh was apprehended – having sustained an injury to his lip after being punched.
Welsh pleaded guilty to one count of assault occasioning grievous bodily harm. When sentenced, he was also ordered to wear an electronic tag for three months and carry out 200 hours of unpaid work, as well as providing £2,000 in compensation.
Having joined Liverpool at the age of 10 in 1994, Welsh watched on as the likes of Jamie Carragher, David Thompson, Michael Owen and Steven Gerrard progressed through the Reds academy into the first team, dreaming of one day following in their footsteps.
Working his way up to Liverpool reserve team captain, he broke into the England Under-21s squad and started training with the Reds first team squad at Melwood from the middle of the 2001/02 season as comparisons were inevitably made to Gerrard.
Handed his first team debut the following year against Ipswich Town in the League Cup, a maiden Premier League appearance followed in October 2003 as Liverpool lost to Arsenal’s Invincibles at Anfield.
But his best days at his boyhood club came under Benitez during the Spaniard’s maiden season on Merseyside as the Reds chased Champions League glory. Welsh was named an unused substitute as Liverpool locked horns with Juventus and Chelsea on their way to Istanbul, with opportunities instead coming in the Premier League as Rafa Benitez rotated his side.
Having made 10 appearances for the club, Welsh’s Liverpool career came to an end as he joined Hull City on a season-long loan deal in August 2005. The deal was made permanent the following January with Paul Anderson moving to Anfield in part-exchange.
Welsh also played for Chester, Carlisle United and Bury followed after his return to fitness before he returned to Merseyside with Tranmere Rovers. He spent three years playing for the Wirral side, before moving to Preston.
He also featured for Grimsby and played for Atherton Collieries and Stafford Rangers before hanging up his boots.
Sentencing Welsh in 2019, Recorder Simon Killeen said: “On March 24, 2018 you were in Liverpool city centre at 3.20am and were clearly drunk having consumed 11 pints of shandy.
“You become involved in an altercation with two ladies – it was as much your fault as theirs but what is your fault is that, after that initial coming together, you kicked one of these ladies with such force to the leg that you fractured her leg.”
READ THE FULL STORY HERE.
Former footballer who became accountant for drug gang wails ‘I can’t believe it’ as she’s jailed
A former professional footballer and successful businesswoman’s secret life as an accountant for a £1million drugs gang was exposed after police swooped to arrest her at an airport.
Faye Dunn once boasted a portfolio of companies across a range of sectors. But now the young mum is beginning a prison stretch of nearly four years.
The 38-year-old’s sporting career alone would be the envy of many. One highlight of her time in football came 20 years ago as a promising teenager playing for England at youth level.
Dunn, then 18, helped her team qualify for the semi-finals of the UEFA European Women’s U19 Championship. She netted goals during two of the Lionesses’ group games during the tournament, against Denmark and Switzerland.
The “box-to-box midfielder” turned out for Tranmere Rovers before joining Leeds United in 2003. One documented appearance for the former came after she bagged a hattrick against Southampton in November 2000, although Dunn was sent off while facing Doncaster Belles in March 2002.
She was later interviewed by Leeds ahead of a game with her former side. She said of the upcoming clash: “I enjoyed my time at Tranmere and always look out for their results, but I am a Leeds player now and we will all be going out determined to try to get three points for Leeds United Ladies.”
After hanging up her boots, Dunn – a well-known figure in the Huyton area – would give back by setting up Onside Sports Academy. The aim of the community interest company was to support young footballers whose dreams of playing pro had been shattered after being released by clubs, ensuring that they secure gainful employment rather than going off the rails.
This was one of several directorships she would go on to hold. Companies House lists interests in a legal firm and a recruitment company.
Her business empire also extended to a restaurant and a popular children’s play centre. Over in Spain, her epoxy resin flooring supplier showed some promise.
But the mother-of-two’s fortunes turned in 2020. Covid-19, lockdowns and their consequences saw her businesses falter. Liverpool Crown Court heard that this was the catalyst for Dunn becoming involved in the underworld, although evidence pointed to her money laundering exploits beginning in December 2019.
She operated under the handle StiffNinja on the encrypted communications platform EncroChat, which was commonly deployed by criminals in keeping their dealings secret until the network was hacked by the authorities during 2020. Messages revealed that she had “involvement in the supply and production of cannabis”, being described as an “accountant for an organised criminal enterprise” who had also smuggled cash to Spain – boarding a Portsmouth to Santander ferry with money hidden in her trousers.
Nicola Daley, prosecuting, said: “She played an operational role within the drugs supply chain but appeared to have significant influence upon others in the chain, facilitating meetings between criminal associates in relation to the supply of controlled drugs, and also instructed others to undertake tasks such as the collection and movement of packages of both drugs and cash. Significantly, she appears to have acted as the accountant for the organised criminal enterprise and has concealed not only her EncroChat device but also cash when travelling abroad in order to evade detection by the authorities.”
Dunn, of Walpole Avenue in Whiston, was eventually arrested at Manchester Airport on June 13 this year as part of Operation Venetic. She remained silent under interview but later pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cannabis and money laundering.
The fallen entrepreneur was seen to be in tears at various points during her sentencing hearing at Liverpool Crown Court yesterday, Tuesday. “Intelligent, resourceful, kind, loving, generous and sadly flawed” Dunn wailed and said “I can’t believe it” as she was led down to the cells, having been jailed for three years and nine months.
Sentencing, Judge David Potter said: “It is a tragedy to see a young woman facing a sentence of imprisonment after leading a life full of past and continuing achievements. You should have been thinking about your two young children when you became involved in serious organised crime.”
READ THE FULL STORY
International athlete became ‘breathtakingly inept’ cocaine dealer
Jacob Maxted had represented Great Britain at handball and had completed accountancy qualifications. However, he became a ‘breathtakingly inept’ cocaine dealer.
Maxted, 26, was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on Tuesday (May 9). He was arrested as he tried to sell cocaine but was caught on CCTV.
He was in Warrington town centre at around 3.20am on December 15, 2021 when he was caught on CCTV offering cocaine to another man. Prosecuting, Iain Criddle told the court that Maxted made an “unsophisticated attempt” to deal cocaine, one bag of which was in the palm of his hand as he tried to make a sale.
A CCTV camera was directly above Maxted as he attempted to make a deal. The person operating the camera contacted the police, who arrived and found Maxted with one bag of cocaine in his hand and 12 in his pocket, which he intended to “undersell” for £20 each.
In total, he had 1.87g of the drug in his possession, as well as £48.06 in cash.
He initially said that half of the cocaine was for sale and the other half was for personal use. He admitted the offence in a police interview and pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine with intent to supply at the first opportunity.
In mitigation, Andrew Jebb pointed to his client’s lack of criminal history or prowess. Mr Jebb said his client operated in the “most inept way”, which resulted in the “maximum risk of discovery for minimum reward”.
Additionally, Mr Jebb told the court that Maxted had played handball for Great Britain and had completed accountancy qualifications.
Maxted, of Nelson Road, Birchwood, played handball for Warrington Wolves, top scoring for the club in their successful 2017 British Championship Test Event campaign. His performances for the Cheshire side resulted in a number of international call-ups for Great Britain, who he represented in competitions abroad.
He then went on to work to qualify as an accountant. Mr Jebb described his client as a “young man with considerable promise”, saying he has returned to play rugby, has been in a 14-month relationship and was holding down a job, which earned him a salary and commission, since his arrest.
Maxted’s cocaine use had become a “problem” at the time of the offence, Mr Jebb said. However, he told the court that Maxted was no longer taking drugs.
Mr Jebb said Maxted’s behaviour since his arrest showed he was “capable of leading a law-abiding and productive lifestyle”. He said that his client, who has no previous convictions, poses no danger or risk to the public.
Though dealing a Class A drug would usually result in immediate custody, Recorder Close said the “weight of other factors” allowed him to suspend the sentence. The judge pointed to Maxted’s otherwise good character, remorse, his employment and the lack of risk of reoffending as he passed sentence.
Maxted walked free from court, having been sentenced to 20 months, suspended for 18 months. He must also complete 250 hours of unpaid work, which he must complete outside of work hours.
Recorder Close said: “You don’t get free time. That’s what you’ve brought upon yourself”.
He added: “You do that work or you go to prison”
Before Maxted left court, the judge said: “You have been given a chance today. There will not be a second one”.
READ THE FULL STORY.
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